Full-fashioned knitted brassiere



Jan. 3, 1961 c. D. GOFF ET AL 2,966,785

. FULL-FASHIONED KNITTED BRASSIERE Filed Oct. v, 1958 1NVENTOR5: CLHRENCE vnvw GOFF By WALTER S.DETw\ -ER 2,966,785 FULL-FASHIONED KNITTED BRASSIERE Clarence David Goff, Elkins Park, and Walter S. Detwiler, West Chester, Pa., assignors to David D. Goff, Alexander N. Rubin, and C. David Golf, co-partners, trading as West Grove Hosiery Mills, West Grove, Pa.

Filed Oct. 7, 1958, Ser. No. 765,890 9 Claims. (Cl. 66-176) Our invention relates generally to brassieres and more particularly to an improvement in brassieres formed of knitted fabric, the improvement providing true full fashioned knitted brassieres the fabric of which is knit to the required shape during the formation thereof.

The general object of the invention is to provide a full fashioned knitted brassiere made upon a full fashioned knitting machine, the brassiere being soft to the skin and having seam free cup-shaped receiving areas which are shaped during the knitting thereof.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a full fashioned knitted brassiere formed of a pair of knit-toshape full fashioned knitted fabric blanks wherein each blank is so shaped and fashioned during the knitting thereof as to thereby provide a predetermined shape for the brassieres formed from such blanks, including full fashioned seam free cup-shaped contours for the bust receiving areas thereof.

It is also an object of the invention to provide full fashioned knitted brassiere forming blanks upon a full fashioned knitting machine wherein each blank is symmetrically knit about its central wale about which the blank is folded to provide a double wall for the brassiere.

It is a further object of the invention to provide full fashioned knitted brassiere forming blanks upon a full fashioned knitting machine wherein each blank is symmetrically formed about its center wale about which the fabric of the blank is adapted to be folded, each such blank having tapered sides divergingly extending from one end thereof, as formed by a widening operation, and having a pair of seam free cup-shaped bust receiving areas at the other end thereof, as formed by a widening and a narrowing operation.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method of making a double wall full fashioned knitted brassiere from a pair of full fashioned knitted fabric blanks wherein substantially all of the edges of the blanks are seamed together to form a tube like body member which is then turned inside out through the unseamed portions of the edges to form the brassiere.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred form of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, and from the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the full fashioned knitted brassiere of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a full fashioned knitted fabric blank of which the brassiere of Figure 1 is made.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a pair of blanks of Figure 2 seamed together at their wide ends.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the joined blanks of Figure 3 folded along their center wales and seamed together along their superimposed edges with one end thereof remaining unseamed.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 with the seamed together blanks turned inside out and with auxiliary stitching therethrough.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of Figure 5 taken on line 6-6 thereof.

The full fashioned knitted brassiere of the present invention is indicated generally at 10 in Figure 1 and isformed of a like pair of oppositely disposed horizontally extending full fashioned knitted fabric blank 12, joined at 13 in the front and at 14 in the rear of the garment. of like formation, a

fice for both.

The blank 11 is knit upon a full fashioned knitting;

machine of the type used for the formation of full fashshape needles at this time. After a number of courses are knit upon these needles, the carrier stroke is increased to knit upon more needles to symmetrically widen the fabric, as. at 16. These steps are then repeated, as required, to: widen and to knit the fabric to form the tapered tab 17.. As a general proposition, the outline of full fashioned fabric is indicative of the number of needles knitting, the lengths of the yarn carrier strokes, and the number of courses knit between changes thereof.

Full fashioned fabric itself, or any article which is: full fashioned, is knit to its required shape upon a fullfashioned knitting machine of the type normally used to make full fashioned hosiery and wherein at least certain. of the shaping is performed by using transfer point combs. which transfer a number of stitches from' the needles: making the same to needles adjacent thereto in a number' of courses, this process causing one or more lines of trans-- fer marks to be made within the fabric.

Upon reaching course 18, a second yarn carrier is also made active on the machine to feed a second yarn to the needles along with the first yarn from the first carrier.. Knitting of the blank 11 continues with the active needles: now forming stitches of the two yarns, to form what may be termed a reinforced fabric, from the course 18 to the spaced course 19, the fabric being progressively and symmetrically widened by increasing the strokes of the two yarn carriers at the required rate of widening, to form the band area 20 between the courses 1% and 19. The band 2% is thus provided with progressively diverging tapered side edges '21, 21 of the required shape for the brassiere.

The course 19 having been formed, the knitting is changed to start the formation of the pair of non-rein forced cup-shaped areas 22-22 of the blank 11, and the reinforced band area 25 therebetween. The strokes of the two carriers are now no longer the same and, up to the center course 23 of the areas 22, the stroke of the first carrier will continue to be increased while the stroke of the second carrier will be decreased. Between courses 19 and 23, the rate at which the strokes of the first carrier is progressively lengthened is changed to widen the fabric at a faster rate to provide the steeper tapered side edges 24 of the first half of the cup areas 22. At the same time the strokes of the second carrier are progressively decreased at such a rate that the reinforced band area 25, between courses 19 and 23, is defined by the curved converging lines 26-26.

As knitting proceeds from course 23 to the course 27, the second half of the cup areas 22 and of the band area 25 are formed. The stroke of the first carrier is now progressively decreased while the stroke of the second carrier is now progressively increased. As the result of Patented Jan. 3, 1961 units 11 and' Inasmuch as the fabric blanks 11 and 12 are description of one, shown unfolded at 11 in Figure 2 as it comes from the machine, will suf-- increasing the stroke of the second carrier, the outline of the reinforced band area 25, between courses 23 and 27, is defined by the curved diverging lines 2323. As the result of decreasing the stroke of the first carrier, and at the same time bringing the transfer combs or narrowing points of the machine into operation to work in conjunction therewith, the fabric is narrowed from courses 23 to 27 so that the second half of the cup areas 22 have the reversely tapered side edges li -23 The shape of each cup area 22 is generally symmetrical relative to the central course 23 thereof. The action of the narrowing points, as they transfer groups of stitches to adjacent needles, causes lines of narrowing or transfer stitch marks to be made in the fabric, as at 30, 3% between the courses 23 and 27.

lines are not parallel to tapered edges 2-.2 9 this being the result of operating. the narrowing points to progressively transfer fewer wales in the narrowing operation. Certain of. the fabric wales on both sides of the marks Sit-3t) are thus progressively eliminated from the fabric and terminate in these marks. This narrowing operation causes the areas 22 of the fabric to be cupshaped to thereby provide adequately shaped bust receiving portions for the brassiere. From course 27' to course 31, the latter course denoting the wide terminal end of the blank ll, knitting continues for an appropriate number of courses with the stroke of each of the carriers unchanged to thereby provide a reinforced hand area 32 of uniform width.

Thus the areas 22 first yarn and the inner outlines thereof are defined by the shape of the reinforced hand area therebetween, the latter area being formed of stitches of both of the yarns. The outer outlines of the areas 22 as well as the cup-shape thereof are formed by the described widening and narrowing operation.

The central wale of blank 11, on which the blank is to be folded in both directions thereabout, is indicated by the dot dash line 33 and the stitch construction of this wale may be modified so as to be readily visible or so as to provide an automatic fold line for the blank. To this end, a series of tuck or transferred stitches may be made in spaced courses along this central wale, or its needle may be removed from the machine.

The formation of a brassiere from a pair of blanks 1i and 12. is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. As in Figure 3, these blanks, with their center wales 33 aligned, are first joined along their wide ends 31 by a suitable overedge seam 34-, this scam being preferably the type of scam normally used in the manufacture of full fashioned hosiery. Thereafter the joined blanks are folded over about wales 33 and, after removing the tab 17 from one of the blanks here shown as being removed from blank 12, the superimposed edges of the two blanks are all joined by an overedge seam 35 with the exception of the tab end 17 of blank 11 which is not closed at this time. The resulting generally tubular body of the brassiere is then turned inside out through the opening in tab 1'7 of blank 11, after which this tab is removed and is folded in and the opening is appropriately seamed closed. The two walls or panels of the brassiere are then stitched together in their reinforced areas by a line of auxiliary stitching 36, the stitch line 36 being preferably placed adjacent to the top of the brassiere except at the cup areas 22 where it extends adjacent to their lower curved sides. The blanks are preferably arranged so that the normal face side of the knitted fabric is outermost in the finished brassiere.

A pair of over-the-shoulder straps 3737 may be suitably secured to the brassiere with one end of each strap preferably secured to a cup area 22 near its central course 23. While the narrow ends of the blanks have been shown secured together at 14 in Figure 1, it will be understood that these ends need not be so secured and may be provided with means to readily connect and, dis- It will be noted that the are formed of stitches of only the "Madame-M. .w.

connect the same. The fabric of the brassiere may be knit of any desired type of natural or synthetic yarn or yarns, and is preferably knit of one of the so-called stretch yarns of which Helanca yarn is an example. It should be noted that the edge portions 21, 24 and 29 of the blanks are of selvage construction, as is the edges of the constant width courses preceding course 18 and those between courses 27 and 31.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

l. A full fashioned knitted fabric blank of required shape for the formation of a full fashioned knitted brassiere therefrom, said shape being symmetrical about the center wale of said blank, a pair of cup-shaped bust receiving areas in said blank symmetrically disposed about said wale, the cup-shape of said areas being formed by full fashioned narrowing of the fabric within said areas, the said blank being folded on said wale in the formation of said brassiere.

2. A full fashioned knitted fabric blank of required shape for the formation of a full fashioned knitted brassiere therefrom, said shape being symmetrical about a central wale of said blank, a pair of bust receiving areas in said blank symmetrically disposed about said wale, the said blank being folded on said wale in the formation of said brassiere.

3. A full fashioned knitted fabric blank of required shape for the formation of a full fashioned knitted brassiere therefrom, said shape being symmetrical about the center wale of said blank, a pair of bust receiving areas in said blank symmetrically disposed about said wale, said blank being formed of body and of reinforcing yarn except in said areas which are formed of only body yarn, the said blank being folded on said wale in the formation of said brassiere.

4. A full fashioned knitted fabric blank of required shape for the formation of a full fashioned knitted brassiere therefrom, said shape being symmetrical about the central wale of said blank, a pair of bust receiving areas in said blank symmetrically disposed about said wale, the fabric ofsaid blank being reinforced except in said areas, the said blank being. folded onsaid wale in the formation of said brassiere.

5. A full fashioned knitted brassiere formed of a pair of similarly shapedfull fashioned knitted fabric blanks the shape of each of which is symmetrical about its central wale, said blanks having their like ends joined in such disposition that their central wales are aligned, the joined blanks being folded on said wales to form said brassiere.

6. A full fashioned knitted brassiere formed of a pair of similarly shaped full fashioned knitted fabric blanks the shape of each of which is symmetrical about its central wale,said blanks having their like ends joined in such disposition that their central wales are aligned, the joined blanks being folded on said wales and having the folded portions thereof joined to form said brassiere.

7. A full fashioned knitted brassiere formed of a pair of similarly shaped full fashioned knitted fabric blanks the shape of each of which is symmetrical about its center wale, each of said blanks having a pair of cup-shaped bust receiving areas symmetrically disposed about said wale, said blanks having their like ends joined in such disposition that their center wales are aligned, the joined blanks being folded on said wales and having the folded portions thereof joined to form said brassiere, the pair of bust areas of each of said blanks forming a double wall bust receiving area for said brassiere.

8. The method of forming a double wall full fashioned knitted brassiere from a pair of similarly shaped full fashioned knitted fabric blanks the shape of each of which is symmetrical about its center wale including the step of seaming together like edge portions of said blanks in such disposition that their center wales are aligned, the step of folding said joined blanks on said wales to superimpo se the remaining edge portions thereof, the step of seaming S i r maining edge portions together except for; a' p tion thereof of sufficient length to permit the seamed together blanks to be turned inside out through the unseamed edge portions thereof, and the step of turning said seamed together blanks inside out through the unsearned edge portions thereof to form said brassiere.

9. The method of forming a double wall full fashioned knitted hrassiere from a pair of similarly shaped full fashioned knitted fabric blanks the shape of each of which is symmetrical about its center Wale including the step of seaming said blanks together along a portion of the edges thereof in such disposition that their center wales are aligned, the step of folding said joined blanks on said wales to superimpose the remaining edges thereof, the step of seaming said remaining edges together except for a relatively small portion thereof to thereby provide a 15 relatively small opening through which the seamed to- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mueller Feb. 27, 1934 Coleman Aug. 5, 1947 Garson Nov. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 12, 1935 

